Take *THAT* South Beach!

I have been battling an extra 15 to 20 pounds for the past two years. I've tried the South Beach diet (aside from being expensive, I have enough health issues without taking on the "South Beach Flu" that comes with carb withdrawal), portion control (I just eat small portions of too many foods) and the 11-Day Diet that mixes foods up in an effort to speed up your metabolism (all fruit day is okay, but all veggie day sucks).

I like food. Period. I eat well overall. That's a big rationalizing statement, I know. I have cookies in my pantry and frozen yogurt in my freezer. I also have lots of lean meat and fresh fruits and veggies.

One reason for my battle of the bulge is stress. My gastroenterologist told me about something called cortisol. It's called the stress hormone. It can do good things, like mimic hydrocortisone and help reduce inflammation.

It also causes you -- or more specifically, ME -- to gain wait around the middle. The doctor as much as told me that until my stress levels drop, I can eat a proper diet and exercise and I'm still going to have trouble losing this spare tire.

So I've concentrated on those lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies and limited amounts of complex carbohydrates (except for those cookies and frozen yogurt, but a gal's entitled to SOME fun, isn't she?).

Now I read online that certain carbs can actually help you lose weight. OH HAPPY DAY!

I'm going to quote the article in full and to give credit where credit is due, the original article can be found here.

Eating a diet packed with the right kind of carbs is the little-known secret to getting and staying slim for life.

When we talk about the right kind of carbs, we mean Resistant Starch. Hundreds of studies conducted at respected universities and research centers have shown Resistant Starch—such as grains, beans, and legumes—helps you eat less, burn more calories, feel more energized and less stressed, and lower cholesterol.

Sound too good to be true? Here are eight evidence-based reasons you must get carbs back in your life if you are ever to achieve that coveted sleek, slim look.

Eating carbs makes you thin for lifeA recent multi-center study found that the slimmest people also ate the most carbs, and the chubbiest ate the least. The researchers concluded that your odds of getting and staying slim are best when carbs make up to 64% of your total daily caloric intake, or 361 grams.

That's the equivalent of several stuffed baked potatoes (a food we bet you've been afraid to eat for decades).

Most low-carb diets limit you to fewer than 30% of total calories from carbs and sometimes contain as few as 30 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Carbs fill you upMany carb-filled foods act as powerful appetite suppressants. They're even more filling than protein or fat. These special carbs fill you up because they are digested more slowly than other types of foods, triggering a sensation of fullness in both your brain and your belly.

Research done at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom found that consuming Resistant Starch in one meal caused study participants to consume 10% fewer calories (roughly 150 to 200 calories for the average woman) during the next day, because they felt less hungry.

Carbs curb your hungerAccording to researchers, when dieters are taken off a low-carb diet and shifted them to an approach that includes generous amounts of fiber and Resistant Starch foods, something wonderful happens: Within two days, the dieters' cravings go away.

The fiber and Resistant Starch fills them up and satisfies them while allowing them to eat the foods they crave. These good-news carbs also raise levels of satiety hormones that tell the brain to flip a switch that stifles hunger and turns up metabolism.

Carbs control blood sugar and diabetesThe right mix of carbs is the best way to control blood sugar and keep diabetes at bay. In one study at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Center at the USDA, participants who consumed a diet rich in high Resistant Starch foods were able to lower their post-meal blood sugar and insulin response by up to 38%.

Eat the carbs you want, but you need to combine them so that they don't cause a spike in your blood sugar. Instead of eating white rice, switch to brown and combine it with beans, corn, or other high Resistant Starch foods that keep your blood sugar more balanced than low-carb diets.

Carbs speed up metabolismCarbs high in Resistant Starch speed up your metabolism and your body's other natural fat burners. As Resistant Starch moves though your digestive system, it releases fatty acids that encourage fat burning, especially in your belly.

These fatty acids help preserve muscle mass—and that stokes your metabolism, helping you lose weight faster. Researchers set out to fatten up two groups of rats, feeding one group food that was low in Resistant Starch.

A second group was fed Resistant Starch-packed food. The rats fed the low Resistant Starch chow gained fat while losing muscle mass. Rats that ate the high Resistant Starch meals preserved their muscle mass, keeping their metabolism moving.

Carbs blast belly fatCarbs help you lose your belly fat faster than other foods, even when the same number of calories are consumed.

When scientists fed rats a diet rich in Resistant Starch, it increased the activity of fat-burning enzymes and decreased the activity of fat-storing enzymes. This means that the belly-fat cells were less likely to soak up and store calories as fat.

Carbs keep you satisfiedCarbs keep you satisfied longer than other foods. Here's why: Your brain acts like a computerized fuel gauge that directs you to fill up whenever it notices that its gas tank (stomach) is empty

Foods high in Resistant Starch flip on every single fullness trigger in the body. They release fullness hormones in the intestine and make your cells more sensitive to insulin.

By increasing your consumption of filling foods and releasing satiety hormones, you'll minimize your hunger and cravings.

Carbs make you feel good about you!"Dieters feel so empowered once they lose weight on carbs. For the first time, they are able to lose weight by eating in a balanced manner, without cutting out entire food groups," says Sari Greaves, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

And what are these resistant starches they talk about? Here's a list:

Legumes such as black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, edamame, great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, soy beans, split peas and white beans.

Whole, intact grains such as pearl barley, bulgar wheat and long grain brown rice.

Bananas that are slightly green.


Yams & Potatoes best served cooled after cooking.

I LIKE most of these foods.

I think I'll hit the grocery store and get me some green-ish bananas! And for supper I can have lentils and brown rice.

Are YOU as excited about this as I am???????

Intentional Torture

Summer is right around the corner. Bathing suit season. Conference. Shorts. Lots of opportunity to show off skin...and those pounds I managed to put on over the winter. Please tell me I'm not the only one who's suddenly gotten a dose of fear along with the warming temperatures.

So. Yeah. I've started on a diet. And an exercise routine. I'm cutting calories and trying to get more time in the gym. I'm attempting to use the elliptical in my bedroom for something other than a clothes hanger. I've started setting my alarm thirty minutes earlier hoping to use that first rush of energy to kick butt instead of waiting until my day is at an end and I'm already exhausted.

It isn't working very well. So far, all I've managed to do is extent my use of the sleep button on my alarm clock.

So what does torture have to do with this? I mean aside from my hours at the gym. Well, along with the constant gnawing pain of hunger I've become addicted to the Food Network. Challenge, Chopped, Dinner:Impossible, Throwdown, Chefs vs. City, Alton Brown, Chef Duff, Guy Fieri... I could continue on and probably list every show and talent on the channel. I'm starting to get worried.

I'm not a cook. When forced I can find my way around a kitchen. I have a few dishes I can make when necessary, but my idea of fending for myself is pulling through a drive-through. So this sudden fascination with watching other people cook - and cook gourmet - puzzles me. Most people watch these shows to learn something. I really think I watch them to torture myself. To see all the yummy things I really can't eat. I suppose it's a lesson in discipline and denial. If I can survive watching someone prepare creme brulee without breaking down and visiting the kitchen then surely I can avoid the brownie I really don't need the next time I'm out.

Maybe.

So, anyone else on a summer diet? Do you watch cooking shows? What's your favorite? Do you watch while you're hungry? Any tips to losing weight quick?

Instigator

An Easter Without Sugar

Last year this time, I was blogging about my adoration of Easter candy. Peeps, Cadbury Creme Eggs, Robin's Eggs, Marshmellow Eggs, Reeces Peanut Butter Eggs... you name it, I'm there. LOOOOVEEE Easter Candy.

And that is why, this year, I'm mildly depressed. I started with a personal trainer about two weeks ago. For purposes of anonymity (and alliteration) I'll be calling her Wendy the Wicked on the blog. I prepaid 7 months of sessions, so I'm certain there will be a great many more blogs about the wackiness that ensues when Wendy the Wicked comes after me with that damned medicine ball.

Anyway, along with the training was a diet she recommended. No beef, no pork, no sugar. I'm limited to one potato a day (which can be french fries!) but I can have unlimited fruit, vegetables and whole wheat products. No beef, no pork has been easy enough. There's a couple things I'll miss, but I'm not much of a meat eater anyway. But the sugar.... oh, the sugar!

To prepare myself, I went to the store and scoured the shelves for my sugar free options. Russell Stovers and Hershey both make quite a few types of candy. I got a couple little bags, some SF chocolate chips to make my own cookies if I need to (I didn't even know they made these), SF creamcicles and some Murray's cookies. Normally I wouldn't bring home bags of candy, cookies and ice cream, but its not like I can pop over to the vending machine and get it, so I have to have stuff on hand to avert diet disaster. Doing okay so far. I don't mind the taste and you can't eat a lot of it cause it will make you sick. Instant portion control.

My only problem is Easter. Despite how much I've looked, they just don't make much in the way of sugar free Easter candy. Even Russell Stover's doesn't make a SF Bunny or coconut egg or anything. I haven't done a bunch of internet searching, just perusing the stores so far. My only shining discovery has been finding Sugar Free Peeps at Walmart. The idea of a marshmellow rolled in sugar that is sugar free boggles my mind. I have no idea what it is I'll actually be eating, but my choices are limited, so there is my Easter indulgence.

I can't say that I won't break down and have a Cadbury egg before Monday rolls around, but I'm trying to be good. Any of you guys have diets colliding with your holiday plans? Seen any sugar free Easter candy in your neck of the woods?

SP

Day 11...

... without carbs. Yes, three more days until I can eat a piece of fruit or whole wheat bread. Three more days until I can eat lowfat yogurt or a high fiber granola bar. Not all at once, mind you... one to two servings a day to start out and see how my weight loss progresses. So far, I've done ok. Had my exercise routine not fizzled, I'd probably be doing better. But the scale keeps going down and I haven't hurt anyone. Can't ask for much else.

Except that I'm getting bored. There's a reason this phase only lasts 2 weeks. Eggs, meat, cheese, veggies, nuts. Repeat. Yawn. I'm sure it doesn't help that I really don't care much for eggs and meat. I think half the reason I lose on this diet is because I lose my will to eat. I'm trying to expand my horizons, try some new veggies, embrace what I can eat instead of worrying about what I can't.

So, I'm throwing this out there to see if any of you have suggestions. Any no or very low carb recipes to share? Can't have noodles, potatoes, rice, sugar or starchy veggies. (I say this because someone brought me an extra brownie into my office and asked if it has carbs. Sigh. Yes. All carbs.) Any veggie side dishes to spice things up a bit? I have a zucchini, some yellow squash and a eggplant in my crisper, but no clue what to do with them. They'll rot soon, I'm sure. As will the mushrooms, the red pepper and the asparagus. I mean well, I buy them, then they rot. I really need to stick with frozen veggies.

Have you been on a low carb diet like Atkins or South Beach before? How'd you fare? Any favorite recipes I should try? I need to refill my arsenal before I single-handedly wipe out the chicken population of North America.

SP

Where Are My Peeps?

There are few holidays that tempt my willpower like Easter. I always give out candy I don't like at Halloween. I put mostly non-edibles in Christmas stockings. DB knows better than to give me a giant heart shaped box of candy at Valentine's Day. I'm usually safe. Until Easter.

I don't know what it is. It's not as though I give up chocolate for Lent or anything. There's just something about Easter candy I can't resist. I'm on a diet and this is foremost on my brain, so here are the top ten reasons I'm going to stray wildly off Weight Watchers this weekend.

10. Lindor Truffle Eggs - This wasn't a problem before, but Lindor has gotten smart and started marketing their chocolates for all the holidays. I saw a bag of these at Rite Aid and I'm coveting them. I just adore the way the center melts on your tongue.

9. Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - Do not mistake my fondness for Jelly Bellys for regular old jelly beans. I hate jelly beans. Bleh. But the gourmet flavors of Jelly Belly are an entirely different story. I don't like them all, buttered popcorn is disgusting, but strawberry daquiri, pear, coconut, strawberry cheesecake, peach... YUM.

8. Coconut Eggs - Yeah, they're just an Almond Joy or Mounds repackaged for Easter, but I love them. They're also the perfect size - bigger than just one piece of Almond Joy, but not as much as eating the 2 pieces that come in the standard wrapper.

7. Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Bunnies/Eggs - My mom always used to buy what looked like a carton of eggs, but was filled with chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. We'd freeze them and nearly break our teeth eating them. Yum. Those are harder to find anymore, so I usually settle for the bunnies dipped in chocolate now.

6. Butterfinger Eggs - These little milk chocolate eggs have flecks of crunchy Butterfinger bits in them. Individually wrapped, I can keep a bag stashed away somewhere and squirrel away a piece or two as the urge strikes me.

5. Marshmallow Peeps - It used to be you could only get these at Easter, although now they've branched out into almost every holiday. I prefer the bunnies to the chicks, myself. My mom always liked to open the package and let them sit a while to harden and get stale. That doesn't work in the South, we've found, so I've had to learn to eat them soft and fresh. Darn humidity.

4. Whopper's Robin's Eggs - They're malt balls covered in a bespeckled candy shell that turn your lips funny colors. My mom's favorite and DB really likes them too.

3. Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs - Again, I know these are exactly the same as the peanut butter cups available all year long, but there's something about the egg that is harder to resist. Maybe the larger peanut butter to chocolate ratio.

2. Easter Bunny Cake - It's not candy, but a long standing tradition in my house. Every Easter when I was a kid, my mom made an Easter bunny cake out of two round cakes - one is the head and the other makes two ears and a bowtie. It was usually white cake with vanilla icing, coconut fur and jellybean decorations. The coconut has since been restricted to the ears since neither my stepdad or DB like coconut. This year, I've volunteered to make it, so I might fancy it up a little, but you have to have Easter Bunny cake.

1. Cadbury Creme Eggs - I don't even know what that goo inside is made of. All I know is its like little chocolate meth balls. Try it once and you're hooked. The caramel centered ones aren't bad either.

One thing you've probably noticed is missing - chocolate bunnies. I actually don't really like them. They taste weird to me. I don't know if its the brand or the foil or what. The solid ones are too rich, the hollow ones uninspired. Just too much chocolate at one time for me.


If you're celebrating this weekend, hope you have a happy day with your family and friends (and chocolate)! So, what's your favorite Easter treat? Is there another holiday specialty that you're incapable of resisting?

SP

PS. It's also our very own Playground Monitor's birthday today! Hope you have a happy one, PM!

PPS. Congrats to Rhonda Nelson, the winner of Molly's tea sampler from Wednesday. Send your snail mail info to playgroundmonitor@writingplayground.com to claim your prize.

Running Without A Wild Animal In Pursuit

I've never been much for exercise. Even as a kid, I'd much rather draw or read a book than play softball. I wasn't on a single team aside from P.E. where I usually got picked close to last (aside from basketball where my height was deemed an advantage.) I did jump rope and ride my bike around, but sports were just not my deal.

My mother attempted to route me though the traditional ballet, tap and gymnastics classes at the YMCA, but I don't recall making it for more than a few weeks at a time. After a particularly nasty growing spurt, my doctor actually took me out of ballet for good. (Just in time, too, because I'm was far too endowed far too early for all that jumping around.)

I just wasn't meant for physical activity. For one thing, I was never particularly coordinated. I was tall and lanky with far too much arm and leg. Dribbling a basketball or moving a soccer ball down the field with my big feet was just a bad idea. I was also not very strong. I could never do handstands or cartwheels like the other kids. I'd fall off the monkey bars. And then, of course, I was also a big chicken. Even at seven, I had a pretty hard and fast rule about my rear end not going over my head. It was just asking for trouble.

And so, I developed quite quickly into an "indoor cat." Like my cats at home, the outdoors is nice and interesting, but I'd rather look at it from the safety of the windowsill. I excelled at academics and left the physical stuff behind me. Speaking of "behind," you'll see where this became a problem. I've never been particularly thin. Weight is always a battle and given that I didn't care for physical endeavors, exercise was even more of a challenge for me. I wasn't the kind that would go hiking or rollerblading for fun. Exercise was a chore, a box to check off.

For some reason, I got fired up this year about exercise. Better late than never, I suppose. I joined a local gym and set myself the ambitious goal of going 4 days a week (M-Th). I leave straight from work dressed in my gym clothes, work out, then go home. I know better than to go home and think I'll venture out again for anything as mundane as exercise.

I started February 2nd and I'm pleased to report I haven't missed a single day - 36 straight workouts. I think I've actually gone to the gym more in the last two months than I have in my whole entire life combined. I've been using the ellipticals, walking and running (yes, running) on the treadmill, taking the occasional aerobics class, and doing a good bit of weight training. I have lost some weight, but mostly inches in addition to gaining a few muscles I've never seen before. Hopefully I'll look fab when Nationals rolls around this summer.

After my first month without missing a day, I rewarded myself with a very nice pair of running shoes. This month, I'm thinking perhaps a massage is in order. Maybe a pedicure. The scariest part of this whole thing - I'm actually liking it! If only I could manage to be as consistent with my writing... Why is it I can only be 'on the ball' with one part of my life at a time?

Do you have a love/hate relationship with exercise? Just a hate/hate one? Or are you one of those people who just love it? What's your favorite type of exercise? Honestly, I'm still waiting on that feel good rush that people claims makes them addicted to exercise. I'm nowhere near addicted yet. Do you have any suggestions for a reward?

SP

PS. The winner from last week's blog post is Caroline. She's picked up two autographed Jacquie D'Alessandro books. Please email me at smartypants@writingplayground.com to claim your prize. After seven days, unclaimed prizes will be covered in gravy and fed to my dogs. Or not.

One Step at a Time

There are two things about my personality that are giving me fits right now.

1. I'm all about instant gratification. I won't lie. I want it now. Now, now, now! I'm like a 2-year-old that way, sometimes, although I try to keep it to myself for the part. I don't get that whole 'sweeter with time' stuff. The only thing that gets better with time is wine. I just get grumpier with time.

2. I don't like to fail. Failure is usually not an option for me. It's one of my greatest fears (up there with clowns, puppets and insects/aliens that burrow under your skin). If there's any question about my ability to succeed (aka. a burning desire to be a ballerina), I simply don't do it. I'm very competitive and I don't like getting spanked at something. That's why I stick primarily to mental activities and not physical ones. I'll take calculus over softball anyday.

On their own, these things are managable. Together, they make certain parts of my life - those that require time, hard work and dedication - very difficult. Primarily they hit me the hardest in two big areas - my writing and my weight.

I am in a constant struggle with both. I want to sell now. I want to write quickly and well, the words flowing like water. I want to come up with the next great idea immediately and have it go to auction. Yeah, I know. It will never happen. This is a sllllloooooowwww business. And a hard one. If not for the adamant voices in my head that insist I continue despite the speed and potential for failure, I would happily return to engineering or open a catering business and let all this go.

And of course, those pesky pounds that snuck up on me while I wasn't looking. I want to diet and see results. Immediately. I want the pill or the magic food combinations that will have me dropping 5 pounds a week so I can finish this and return to my regularly scheduled programming. Of course, it doesn't really work that way. Its another long, slow process that requires dedication and this terrible thing called a 'lifestyle change.' Bleh.

So this is where I am. I've been forced to battle both issues at a pace I cannot set. All I can do is go one day at a time. I've been writing maybe five pages a day during the week. Knocking out a couple chapters every two weeks or so. Slow, but discernible progress. When I look at how many pages I've done, I'm actually quite pleased. Same with the diet. I've been eating well, exercising more than I ever have, and I'm seeing results. Good results. Steady, positive movement down.

The speed is killing me, but I'm sticking with it because eventually I will get where I want to go. I'm the tortoise, baby, with the soul of a hare. What are you impatient for? Are you battling with anything lately?

SP

The winner from last week's post is Laurie. She picked up an autographed copy of Blazing Bedtime Stories, featuring Rhonda Nelson. Email me at smartypants@writingplayground.com with your snail mail info. Items not claimed after 7 days will be given away, or maybe kept, depending on how I feel. How's that for a disclaimer??